Rail and tie fastener



W. S. WALTZ July 29, 1941.

RAIL AND TIE FASTENER Filed NOV. 16, 1939 Fig.1

INVENTOR. WINFIELD S. WALTZ $1 7% )Kr/C ATTORNEY.

Patented July 29, 1941 UNITED STTES PATENT OFFIQE RAIL AND TIE FASTENERWinfield s. Waltz, Wadsworth; Ohio Application November 16, 1939, SerialNo. 304,773

7 Claims. (01. 238-279) This invention relates to a rail fastener andparticularly to a fastener for use in connection with rail and cross tiecombinations for fastening a rail and cross tie together with the railin upright operating position. V

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide arelatively simple and economical device for securing the rail and tiemore firmlytogether in a manner which pre-' vents endwise creeping ofthe rail with respect to the tie as well as lateral shifting or tilting.

Another object is to provide a fastener which may be readily mounted onthe tie in a position to receive the rail and which, when the rail islowered into final position on the tie, is operated by the rail toengage and clamp the rail securely in final position.

Another object is to provide a fastener of which the rail clampingaction is augmented by the weight superposed'upon the rail, andparticularly in which forces applied to and tending to tilt the raillaterally, and thus to lift one margin of the base flange of therailfrom the tie, are transferred and reapplied, by' 'cooper'ation ofthe other margin of the flange withithe fastener, to the marginwhichtends to be lifted so as to increase the clamping pressure at the lattermargin.

Another object is to provide a fastener from which the rail can readilybe detached by relatively simple operations and-concurrent lifting ofthe rail vertically from the tie.

Another object is to provide, in combination with a cross tie and arail, a fastener secured to the tie and fixed in position thereonlength-1 wise of the rail and operated by the rail to clamp the tie andrail firmly together. v

Other objects and advantages will become ap parent from the followingspecification, wherein reference is made to the drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a fastener eme bodying the principles ofthe present'invention and showing the same installed on a solid crosstie, part of the fastener being shown in section for clearness inillustration; x

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the fastener in clampingrelation to the rail flange;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the clamping elements of thefastener; and,

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the fastener and'a metal cross tie, showingthe manner of installing the fastener thereon. 1

Referring to the drawing, a preferred form of the fastener comprises apair of clamping elements which are relatively movable laterally of therail into and out of clamping position. Since both clamping elements arethe same and are merely reversed in position, only one will be describedin detail.

In Fig. 3, a single clamping element I is illustrated. The element I isformed from heavybar steel stock and comprises an arm 2 having aclamping jaw 3 adjacent one end thereof. In-

wardly from the jaw 3 the arm has a bearing 4 which is adapted toreceive a pivot for pivotally securing'the element I on a cross tie. Atthe opposite side of the pivot from the jaw 3, the clamping-element I isconflgured to provide a raised abutment or cam portion 5 which isarranged for engagement by: the underside of the rail base flange formoving the 'jawsinto clamping en-' gagement with the base flange whenthe rail is lowered, as will later be described more fully, into finalposition.

Beyond the abutment 5 in a direction away.

from the pivotal axis, the end of the arm is provided with a lug 6 whichpreferably extends normal to one face of the element I. The otherj Vlikewise is provided with an abutment portion Hand lug I2 correspondingto the portion'5 and lug-B'of the'element I. The elements I and! arereversely positioned with respect to each other,-as illustrated in'Fig.1, and are connected by means of a bolt I3 to the tie: I4, the pivotalaxis extending generally parallel to the rail I5 and a considerabledistance below the base flange thereof} Thus the'elements I and Iarefree to swing about the axis of the pivot or bolt I3 transversely orlaterally of the rail.- The abutment portions 5 and I I are shaped andpositioned so that,when theelementsare pivotally secured to the tie, theportions 5 and II extend above the upper surface of the tie. The

jaws'3'and 9 are positioned so as to be spaced a sufficient distanceapart to receive the flange of the rail I5 therebetween as the rail islow on top of thetie; the underside of the rail base flangefirst'engagcsthe abutmentportions 5 and 1 II, and as the railapproaches'=final position, it

bears on these portions, pressing them downwardly and swinging the armsabout their pivotal' axis so as .tol'cause thejaws 3 and!) to move upwardly and inwardly into clamping relation with respect to the baseflange, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The portions and II are so related tothe jaws 3 and 9 and to the pivotal axis that when the rail flange restsupon the tie, the abutment surfaces 5 and H are in engagement with theunderside of the flange and the jaws 3 and 9 are in firm clampingrelation to the lateral margins of the rail flange. Thus the rail isfirmly clamped to the tie and is constrained from movement endwise bythe bolt I3 and fastener, one member of the fastener being in face toface contact with the side of the tie. Any load or superposed force onthe rail causes a firmer engagement of the under-surface of the flangewith the portions 5 and H and thus augments the gripping and clampingeffect of the jaws 3 and 9. Likewise, any attempt to tilt the raillaterally augments the gripping action. For example, if in Fig. 1 or 2an attempt were made to tilt the rail counterclockwise, greater pressurewould be exerted on the portion H, and this would cause the jaw 9 toengage the flange more firmly at the opposite margin and thus moreeffectively resist such tilting action. Thus, tilting of the rail,lateral shifting of the rail, and longitudinal creepage of the rail areeffectively prevented under all conditions, and the usual rail anchorsare not required.

For convenience, both of the elements are mounted on a single bolt orpivot l3, but separate pivots providing these are disposed aconsiderable distance below the base-flange-supporting surface of thetie and within the lateral limits of said flange, may be used with someadvantages, if desired. If the pivot axis or axes is or are close to thelower face of the base flange, then inadequate inward movement of theclamping surfaces of the jaws toward the rail flange would result; andif the pivots were disposed beyond the lateral limits of the flange,then the jaws would not resist forces tending directly to separate therail and tie.

The bolt 13 preferably is positioned a little higher than its truetheoretical position so as to assure full pressure contact between thebase flange and the abutment portions 5 and H. Any tendency of thispositioning to cause the rail flange to be supported by the fastener ina position spaced above the tie is overcome because when a train passesover the rail the superposed weight permanently deforms or bends thebolt l3 downwardly the necessary slight distance to cause the flange torest on the tie. As a result, the fastener is self-adjusting.

Each of the clamping elements is overbalanced by the portion on theopposite side of the pivot from its jaw so that the jaws normally areswung upwardly and toward clamping position by gravity. Consequently, ifthe fastener becomes loosened, it remains in, or returns to, a positionfor re-engagement in which the weight of a passing train will cause thejaws to clamp the flanges effectively.

. Again it should be noted that the lugs 6 and I2 engage end faces ofthe elements I and 1 which are generally concentric with the pivotalaxis established by the bolt 13 and reinforce the jaws 9 and 3,respectively, and tend to prevent outward bending of the jaws. The lugsalso hold the elements I and I in open position, since otherwise thecounter-balancing by the heavier end portions would swing the jawsinwardly, by slight wedging engagement with the generally concentric endsurfaces, as illustrated in Fig. 1, prior to the lowering of the railonto the tie. In final working position of the elements I and I, thelugs 6 and I2 fit tightly over the associated jaws and cause the twoclamping elements to bind tightly together when they are operated evenif they fit somewhat loosely on the pivot, or the pivot becomesdisplaced or broken off. Consequently, they always serve as anchors torestrain longitudinal oreepage of the rail. The bolt I3 is also animportant factor in the use of the present invention as an anti-creeper,because with the assembly comprising the elements I and! in operativeabutment with the tie, in a direction lengthwise of the rail, as whenengaging the side face of the tie, and with both elements hooked to thebolt and gripping the rail, the latter cannot rock the tie because ofthe restraining influence of the bolt. Anti-creepers (anchors) as nowmade are not fastened to the tie but only to the rail. Any suitableauxiliary one-way-acting locking mechanism which is essentially theequivalent of a ratchet or friction clamp can, as a furthermodiflcation, be operatively interposed between lugs 6 and I2 and theadjacent portions of the respective jaw members.

Referring next to Fig. 4, the fastener is shown in connection with asteel cross tie with which it operates in the same manner as abovedescribed. As there illustrated, the steel cross tie 20 is provided witha central opening 2| of suflicient width to accommodate the fastener.The tie is reinforced adjacent this opening by flanges 23 which extenddownwardly from the top wall of the tie. The fastener is secured to thetie by means of a bolt 24 which is received through suitable holes inthe flanges 23.

In either event, for installation, it is only necessary to drop theclamping elements I and 1 onto the bolt l3 or 24 and then spread them sothat the base flange of the rail can be received between the clampingjaws. Then, by lowering the rail onto the tie while the rail is held inupright position, the fastener is operated for effecting the resultsdescribed. If it is desired to unfasten the rail and tie, this can beaccomplished by lifting of the rail (or undermining and dropping of thetie) while concurrently tapping inwardly on the lugs 6 and I2.

I claim: v

1. A fastener for a railway rail and cross tie, said fastener comprisingtwo operatively elongated upright rigid members, both pivotally securedto the tie on a single pin or bolt fixed to the tie and extendingcrosswise of the tie a considerable distance beneath the rail flange andinwardly from the lateral limits thereof, each member having a jaw at ornear one end adapted to overhang and clamp a respective rail flange edgeand a rigid abutment at or near the'other end in position to be presseddownwardly by the under face of the opposite marginal portion of therail flange, means independent of such downward pressure on theabutments and acting on said members in a manner to maintain the jaws incontact with respective rail flanges, the members being reverselypositioned end for-end, whereby the jaws are rendered operative to pullthe tie against the rail flange through the intermediary of the pin orbolt by downward pressure of the rail flange margins on the respectiveabutments of the members.

2. A fastener and anti-creeper for coupling a cross tie and conventionalrailway rail having a double base flange adjacent the upper face of thetie; said fastener comprising two operatively elongated relativelybroad, substantially flat substantially identical plates of sufficientthickness so that they are rigid, the narrow edge of each plate near oneend thereof being relatively indented to form a jaw adapted to overhangand clamp a respective rail flange edge and an opposite end portion ofeach plate being positioned to underhang and be pressed downwardly bythe margin of the flange lying opposite the flange edge engaged by thejaw, the plates being reversely positioned endfor-end and mutuallyoverlapped at their end portions, both ends of one plate being inabutment with the tie in a direction to resist creeping of the rail, andthe two plates having respective bearing portions intermediate said endportions identically positioned on respective plates and adapted forengagement with a common securing bolt or pin fixed to the tie andextending crosswise of the tie beneath the rail, the bearing portion ofeach plate being constructed and arranged to extend around the bolt orpin a sufficient distance so that the bolt or pin resists upward pull ofthe jaw of the plate on the rail flange and resists the downward forceof the opposite margin of the flange on said opposite end portion of theplate, and said plates each being overbalanced about the axis of itsbearing portion toward said opposite end portion thereof so that thejaws, in the operating position of the plates, tend to'swing intocontact with the respective rail flange edges.

3. The arrangement according to claim 2 wherein each plate has an opengenerally circular notch on its bottom edge constituting said bearingportion, part of which forms a hook adapted to underhang the bolt orpin, so that the plates can be applied to the bolt or pin laterallythereof.

4. A fastener for coupling a cross tie and conventional railway railhaving a double base flange adjacent the upper face of the tie; saidfastener comprising two operatively elongated relatively broad plates ofsuflicient thickness so that they are rigid, each having means thereonestablishing a pivot center, said means being adapted to engage a pivotpin or bolt fixed to the tie and extending crosswise of the tie beneaththe rail, one

end portion of each plate extending generally concentric with thepivot-establishing means, a portion adjacent the same end beingrelatively in dented to form a jaw adapted to overhang and clamp arespective rail flange edge, each plate having a portion near theopposite end adapted to underhang and be pressed downwardly by themargin of the rail flange lying opposite the flange edge engaged by thejaw, the plates, for operation, being reversely positioned end-for-endand mutually overlapped at their end portions, said opposite end of eachplate having a lug overhanging and in snug contact with said generallyconcentric portion of the other plate in the rail gripping and pivotengaging position of the plates.

5. A railroad rail and tie fastener comprising a pair of operativelyidentical rigid clamp elements, each having a clamping jaw at one end, asingle pivot means for securing the elements to the tie in superposedrelationship reversely of each other and against being bodily raised andin fixed position lengthwise of the rail in one direction, said elementsbeing swingable into one relative position wherein the jaws can receivethe base flange of the rail therebetween and into another relativeposition wherein the jaws can become forced into engagement withrespective lateral margins of the base flange, means independent of theweight of the rail and acting on said elements in a manner tending tohold the jaws in contact with respective rail flange margins, said jawshaving straight edges adjacent the rail flange which in the secondmentioned relative position of said elements extend in upwardlyconvergent relation to each other and to thevertical longitudinal medianplane of the rail so as to bear inwardly and downwardly on respectivelateral margins of such base flange, each element having an upwardlydisposed abutment adjacent the jaw of the other element and operable byengagement of the under side of the base flange of the rail therewithwhen the rail is moved into final position over the tie, whereby todispose and retain the jaws in fixed clamping relation to the railflange.

6. In a railroad rail and tie combination, a fastener for securing therail flange and the tie together and comprising a pair of clampingelements, means common to the two elements and vertically aligned withthe rail flange and pivotal- 1y securing the elements on the tie forswinging movement of the element relatively toward each othertransversely of the rail, clamping jaws on the elements engageable,respectively, with opposite upper margins of the base flange of the railfor clamping the rail and tie together when the elements are swungrelatively toward each other a predetermined distance, said jaws in therail engaging position of said elements being inclined upwardlysubstantially toward the head of the rail so as to engage the margins ofthe base flanges with a downward and inward clamping action, means onand rigid with each element and positioned horizontally at the oppositeside of the pivotal axis of the associated element from the jaw thereofand serving as a counter-weight normally tending to move the jaw thereofabout the pivotal axis toward the rail flange, said last named meansextending upwardly beyond the pivot a sufflcient distance so as to beengaged and moved downwardly by the under surface of the base flangeopposite the region engaged by the jaw as the rail is lowered into finalposition for swinging the associated jaws into clamping engagement withthe base flange.

7. In a rail and cross tie combination, a fastener comprising twooperatively identical, 'reversely positioned relatively overlappingclamping plate elements, a common means pivotally securing the elementsin upright position, one in lateral abutment with the side of the tiewith the pivotal axis extending lengthwise of the rail, said elementsbeing swingable in opposite directions toward the rail with respect tothe pivotal securing means and both having upper edge portions lyingunderneath the base flange of the rail and engaged and pressed down byrespective opposite marginal portions thereof, jaws on said elementsspaced horizontally from said edge portions, respectively, for engagingand gripping opposite margins of the base flange when the said edgeportions are pressed downwardly by the rail. to a position wherein therail is resting on the upper surface of the tie, and lugs on eachelement overhanging and tightly engaging the jaws of the other in onerelative position of the elements.

WINFIELD S. WALTZ.

